Rhaenyra was laying in her bed naked and exhausted. First, the excitement of seeing her uncle again after four years, then her fear for sneaking out of the castle with him, the disappointment that the people found the idea of a woman sitting on the Iron Throne ridiculous, the curiosity to find out what really happens in the famous brothels in the Street of Silk, her body in overdrive as Daemon was coming closer, her mind going blank when his lips met hers, her body burning from a desire she never thought possible, her devastation for being abandoned vulnerable and unsatisfied in favor of a common whore, her shame returning home humiliated, her determination to avenge Daemon for rejecting what she was willing to give him against all reason and dignity by sleeping with the first available man she could find and eventually the loss of her precious maidenhead. It was too much for one day!
Sir Criston Cole was standing a few feet away, securing his sword around his waist. He was fully dressed again and avoiding her stare. The poor man. He risked everything by giving in to her dangerous game. She shouldn't feel guilty, she'd seen the way he looked at her, he wanted it far earlier than she did, and between them she was the one she lost everything by losing her maidenhead but she still felt like she took advantage of him. Sir Cole was a good man, he deserved a lover who wouldn't look forward to see him exit the room and leave her alone.
Rhaenyra exhaled deeply. Intimacy wasn't supposed to be like that, or maybe it was, she had no real idea on the matter. However, she strongly believed that if it was Daemon there with her, if he had kept his promise to show her himself how pleasurable sex can be then she would have tried to keep him there with her, she would have been more than happy to share a bed with him and spend the night naked and safe between his arms.
The armor looked dull and intimidating under the dim candlelight, a hard, impenetrable shell that could deflect a sword or a spear but she had managed to undid it with only a caress in order to reveal the soft, longing man underneath. Now, said man had refound his knightly glory and it was hard to believe that the currently sombre and distant Sir Cole was moaning her name only minutes ago. She found it hypocritical but maybe that was because she was still naked. Maybe if she wore again one of the fancy, expensive dresses of hers she'd transform back to the Princess of Westeros, like dressing up as a peasant last night had given her a glimpse of freedom and the illusion she could live her life the way she wanted it.
The knight was standing before her but words eluded him. He hoped she would say something first, like she had done earlier when she started it all but she remained as silent as he was. When he realised she wasn't going to make it easier for him he nodded awkwardly in a parody of formality and left the room closing the door carefully behind him.
Rhaenyra hold her breath and waited for all seven hells break loose, if someone saw him exiting her room this late it was over for both of them. There's no way Sir Cole would stain his honor further, he would confess his misstep immediately and pay the price, condemning her along with himself.
Time was passing by and there were no voices or accusations or apologies outside her door. It seems that the castle had no idea that its precious Princess was no longer a maiden. But how long can a secret like this remain hidden? Rhaenyra fell back on her pillows and stared the dark ceiling. She had made a huge mistake. She shouldn't have left bitterness and jealousy take the best of her, if anyone found out the truth... Her heart beat fast at the thought. She pictured her father's devastated face and Otto Hightower's triumphant expression that the King would be obliged to name Aegon the heir to the throne. Her blood was boiling from anger, she wasn't going to allow it! There was no point on living in the past, what was done was done. At least, she had plenty of time to make a plan, with the speed and determination she was rejecting her suitors she wasn't facing a wedding night any time soon.